Kitchen Plumbing
Complete Guide For Kitchen Plumbing DIY Projects
How Kitchen Plumbing Works ?
The kitchen plumbing is the vital component of the kitchen design. The kitchen is one of the most important place in the house that needs to be thoughtfully planned to achieve the design objectives.
The kitchen plumbing system consist of number of sub-systems. The kitchen sub-systems include network of concealed plumbing pipe lines for providing the potable water supply to the plumbing points at various places inside the kitchen area.
The potable water plumbing points are required for the kitchen sink, inlet for the RO water purifier and water supply inlet plumbing point for the dishwasher.
The kitchen plumbing also include underground network of drainage pipe lines to carry the waste water from the kitchen sink, waste water outlet for dishwasher and other washing areas present in the kitchen.
The ventilation pipe is another important component of the plumbing system. The drainage pipes must be ventilated to ensure proper functioning of the drainage system.Â
The kitchen plumbing is connected to the house plumbing system. The house plumbing water supply main line and sewer line is eventually connected to the respective public lines running along the roads.
In this article, you will learn how to design kitchen plumbing system in detail. This article also covers all the important components of the kitchen plumbing system such as water supply pipe system, drainage pipe system and the ventilation pipe system.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Plumbing
Complete Guide To Kitchen Plumbing DIY Projects
Table Of Contents
Kitchen Plumbing System Design
The kitchen continues to be one of the most important areas in the house. The modern kitchen design has packed more gadgets into the kitchen.
The modern kitchen design incorporates modular kitchen platform, under and over the platform cabinets, sink, dish washer, geyser and the water purifier.
All these gadgets present in the kitchen need considerable plumbing work for its installation. Most kitchen gadgets need plumbing points to supply the water and the drainage lines to carry the used water.
Most modern kitchen are also equipped with pipe cooking gas connection for the hob. The piped gas connection lines must be planned at the planning stage.
There are two parts of the kitchen plumbing system. The invisible part of the plumbing system such as water supply lines and the drainage lines are concealed either into the wall or beneath the flooring.
The kitchen plumbing planning is one of the most important aspects of the kitchen design. Almost all kitchen remodel projects involve the installation of the new plumbing system.
The kitchen plumbing plan must incorporate the provision for all the kitchen gadgets to be installed. Any changes required to the kitchen design after the work completion is very expensive and tedious job.
Similarly, the kitchen plumbing plan must take into account service life , repair and the maintenance issues that might be required in future. This is a very important aspect in the design that must be taken care of at the planning stage.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Water Supply Lines
Most modern kitchen are meticulously planned to optimally utilize the kitchen area. The kitchen design includes planning for various gadgets.
Some of the kitchen gadgets such as dishwasher, RO water purifier, geyser and the kitchen sink require plumbing work for the installation.
The kitchen needs both hot and cold-water connection pipes. The hot water supply line can either be from a centralized line common for the house.
Else, the hot water can be sourced from a dedicated geyser installed for the kitchen area. A dedicated geyser for the kitchen works better and cheaper as compared to the centralized hot water line.
A faucet mixer unit can be installed for the kitchen sink. The single liver mixer unit tap is the best option for any modern kitchen. It can handle both hot and cold water in the kitchen sink.
It is a good investment to use the best quality material such as plumbing pipe, plumbing fittings and other fixtures to avoid any recurring repair and maintenance issues.
The kitchen plumbing fixtures can either be wall or surface mounted. And therefore, it is equally important to decide the type of plumbing fittings to be used. So that the plumbing points can be placed accordingly at the right location.
The plumbing fixture level is decided with reference to the finished floor level and precisely marked to get the required installation height from the finished floor.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Drainage Lines
The kitchen drainage pipe lines are designed to handle only the waste water discharge from the kitchen sink and other washing area. This waste water does not contain any human waste and referred as the sullage.
The sullage is a waste water that is generated by the domestic activities such as washing utensils and cloths. The sullage is different from sewage. The sewage contains the human waste.
However, the kitchen drainage line is ventilated with special vent pipe while fixing the kitchen sink. The drainage pipe ventilation is necessary for the proper functioning of the plumbing system.
The kitchen drainage pipe lines are either run along the walls or concealed beneath the flooring. It should be of sufficient diameter as smaller diameter pipes tends to clog frequently.
For medium size domestic kitchen, a drainage pipe line of diameter of 3 inch or 4 inch is considered to be sufficient. However, adequate number of cleaning access points should be provided for the easy maintenance.
Different types of drainage pipes are used to carry the waste water ( sullage ) into the home sewer system. Some of the most commonly used drainage pipes include PVC pipes, CPVC pipes and the galvanized iron ( GI ) pipes.
I It is a good investment to use the best quality material such as drainage pipes, plumbing fittings and fixtures to avoid any recurring repair and maintenance issues in future.
The kitchen sink drainage installation kits are readily available in the home improvement store. These kits can be easily installed for DIY projects.Â
Important
The use of underground lines either for the supply of water or the drainage line should be restricted to minimum. It is difficult and expensive process to maintain the underground pipe lines.
How To Install Kitchen Sink Drainage
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Plumbing Fixtures
Different types of kitchen plumbing fixtures are used in the kitchen plumbing system for the installation of various kitchen gadgets.
- Plumbing Flexible Connectors.
- Kitchen Sink Drainage Kit.
- CPVC Pipe Adhesive Glue.
Kitchen Sink Types
The kitchen sink location, size, and design play an important role in the kitchen interior planning and design.
The kitchen sink type and size also depend upon the kitchen area and the functional needs of the user.
Different types of kitchen sinks are available in the market. However, based on the installation, the kitchen sink type can be either be top mounted or countertop undermount sink.
The undermount sinks are best installed on the rear bottom side of the kitchen countertops. Most home owner prefer the undermount kitchen sink due to its clean elegant design looks and the ease of maintenance.
The latest kitchen sink designs include uncrackable, scratch resistant and noiseless kitchen sinks. The main advantage of these kitchen sinks is the reduction in the noise levels while washing the utensils.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Sink Plumbing
The kitchen sink plumbing needs a water supply plumbing points. Depending upon the type of the sink faucet you might need both hot and cold water supply points.
The kitchen sink installation also needs waste water drain pipe. The kitchen sink is connected to the waste water pipe using a plumbing fixture called the waste coupling.
The easiest way to install the kitchen sink as DIY project is to buy the entire installation kit readily available in any home improvement or hardware store.
The sink installation kit includes all the necessary plumbing fixtures and accessories for the sink installation. You can also buy each item separately required for the sink installation.
The plumbing fixtures and material needed for the kitchen sink plumbing work includes sink faucet, PVC flexible connectors, waste coupling, drain kit, two stop cocks, Teflon plumbing sealant tape and other such material.
You will also need some important plumbing tools.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Sink Faucet
The kitchen sink faucet can be either countertop mounted or it can be installed on the backsplash if it is wall mounted. The faucet mixer unit is required in the you wish to provide for both hot and cold water supply.
Both the countertop mount and wall mount faucet need different type of plumbing system. And therefore, the type of the sink faucet must be planned and selected prior to the installation of the kitchen countertop.
The plumbing points required for the installation of the sink faucet must be planned well in advance at the planning stage. It is very difficult and expensive to incorporate the changes in the kitchen plumbing system after the work is complete.
IMPORTANT
For the hot water supply line to the faucet mixer unit , a special heat resistant PVC flexible connectors, bottle trap as well as the sink drain pipes should be heat resistant to handle the hot water.
Separate stop cock is installed for each water supply line to facilitate the future repair and maintenance work.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Flexible Connectors
The flexible connectors are an important plumbing fixtures used for the installation of kitchen sinks, basin, water purifiers, dishwasher and other gadgets.
As the name suggest, the main purpose of the flexible connectors is to connect either kitchen sink faucet or any other gadget to the water supply stopcock.
The different types flexible connectors are available in various sizes , strength and length. For handling the hot water supply, special heat resistant flexible connectors are used.
IMPORTANT
The steel wire mesh reinforced plumbing flexible PVC connections are also available for extra durability. These heavy-duty flexible connectors can handle both the hot water and high water pressure.
Kitchen Plumbing Complete DIY Guide
Kitchen Plumbing FAQ
How to design kitchen plumbing ?
The kitchen plumbing is designed based on the functional requirements. The kitchen plumbing system is planned as per the location of the various kitchen gadgets that needs plumbing points for its installation.
The most common kitchen gadgets that needs provision for plumbing points include kitchen sink, dishwasher, washing machine , water purifier and water heater.
Some kitchen gadgets need both water supply point as well as drainage pipe for the disposal of the waste water. For example, kitchen sink and dishwasher needs both water supply and drainage connection.
How to make kitchen plumbing Layout ?
The kitchen plumbing layout plan provides the details of the network of water supply pipes, waste water drainage pipes and the ventilation pipes for the kitchen plumbing.
The kitchen plumbing layout plan is prepared at the planning stage to ensure that availability of the plumbing points required for the installation of various kitchen gadgets.
How to Calculate kitchen plumbing Cost ?
The kitchen plumbing cost estimation depends upon the scope of the plumbing work. The total plumbing cost can be split into plumbing material cost and labor cost.
The plumbing material cost depends upon the type and specifications of the material used in the kitchen plumbing. The labor cost depends upon the kitchen area , plumbing fixtures to be installed and the type of the contract.
How much does it cost to renovate kitchen plumbing in USA ?
The kitchen plumbing cost estimation depends upon the type of the plumbing work contract. The first type is labor contract and the second type is lumpsum contract.
In labor work contract the plumbing charges include only labor charges and the material charges are charged as per the actual expenses.
The labor charges for plumbing work can be anywhere between $ 10 to $30 per square feet area of the kitchen.
The lumpsum type of kitchen plumbing work includes both material and the labor charges for the plumbing work. The material cost depends upon the quality of the material and the price range is quite wide.
The branded top of the line plumbing material usually cost more as compared to the standard or unbranded plumbing material.
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